Have you ever had to spend some time with a chronic complainer? Nothing is right in their opinion. This isn’t good enough! That is not the right type! You’re not doing it correctly! Complain, moan, groan, whine, whine, whine! Even an hour is too long to be with a complainer, let alone a whole day! Have you ever been on a road trip with a complainer? That is the worst! Moses was on a very long “road trip” with the people of Israel, and they were nothing but complainers and whiners the whole time. This wasn’t just one or two moaning children in the back seat of the car, this was a whole nation of whining and complaining people. Our Scripture today from the Old Testament book of Exodus gives us a picture of one such episode.
As our Scripture opens, the people of Israel had just been delivered from slavery in Egypt, and God had only just a few days prior parted the Red Sea for them to cross, as the armies of Egypt came after them. In the weeks leading up to their deliverance, God had performed many miracles in the form of the Ten Plagues, working against His enemies and providing protection for the Israelites. All of these miraculous events should have been fresh on their minds. These should have shown the people that Yahweh was a great and powerful God, in reality the only true God. They should have known through these events that He loved them and would care for them, but their actions proved otherwise.
Literally just a few days after miraculously crossing the Red Sea, the people started complaining and murmuring that they had no fresh water, that the water around them was bitter. God miraculously provided good, fresh water for them (Exodus 15:22-27). Now, just a few days past that event, they are complaining and whining again. They were hungry, they wanted something good to eat. With having had more miracles provided for them in just a matter of several weeks, more than anyone else would ever see in a lifetime, these people quickly forgot it all. Those miracles, God’s mighty provision, didn’t register with them on a spiritual level. How quickly they forgot! They failed to see, to trust, to believe in God’s power to provide, or in His loving care.
As we continue reading in our passage, we see something amazing. In the middle of all their complaining, the people actually said that they would rather be back in Egypt as slaves, would rather have died as slaves, then to be led by God on to their promised land! (vs. 3). Even after God’s mighty deliverance, they preferred to die as slaves in Egypt, rather than follow Him through the wilderness! Everyone complained. The negative and self-centered ones convinced all of the people to murmur and complain. In their sinful minds, the country which had enslaved them looked good in comparison to the wilderness. Negativity and ungratefulness is contagious. We need to be careful that our bad attitude does not lead others onto a similar, sinful path.
In response to the people’s complaints and Moses’ prayers, God provided the people with manna. Manna is a word in Hebrew that means “What is it?” No one knows for sure what this was, other than a miraculous supply of food from God. It appeared every morning at dawn, and appeared in abundance to supply the nutritional needs for the multitude. They were to gather it every morning, and if left for the next day it would get wormy, except on the Sabbath, when it remained fresh. The manna stopped appearing the very day they entered into the Promised Land.
The people may have thought that they were complaining to Moses, however, when we complain and moan to others about circumstances in our life, we are really complaining to the Lord (vs. 7-8). He hears and sees all that we say and do, and will hold us responsible. Discontent causes us to forget all of God’s blessings in our life, turning us into ungrateful people. Because the people of Israel continued in this complaining and ungrateful attitude throughout the whole 40 years in the wilderness, God needed to discipline the people over and over again.
Jesus is a figure of that manna which came down from heaven. Jesus told us that He is the Bread of Life. When we come to Him, we will never hunger again, and will have eternal life. (John 6:30-58). As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to develop a grateful and thankful heart, always remembering all He has blessed us with. God provides for everyone who trusts in Him. Do we feel lost, abandoned, alone? God will never leave us or forsake us, and He will always provide for our needs. Like the old-time hymn says: “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done!”
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